Neil Diamond honors Colorado firefighters with a surprise performance

Everyone knows the chorus to "Sweet Caroline."

The firefighters of the Lake Christine Fire department were thrilled to find Neil Diamond had come to visit. The 77-year-old singer wanted to show his appreciation for all their hard work, fighting an enormous wildfire which has burned 12,287 acres and is still only about 45% contained.

Fox News reports, Neil took a seat with his guitar and spoke to the crowd, saying:

“Thank you all, I want to take you all home. I want to give you a kiss. I want to take you home and make dinner for you. I just want to say thank you from the people of this area, for coming down. This town has not been so happy since… I don’t know. I’ve been here for 20 years and you’ve made everybody happy here. The heaviness of their hearts is gone. We know the cavalry is here. We say thank you to each of you for making this trip.”

The crowd seemed extremely receptive to Diamond’s words of gratitude and laughed as he shared a little comedic back-and-forth with his wife Katie. Diamond then played “Sweet Caroline,” which the crowd joined with the appropriate “Bum Bum Bum” during the chorus. The folks at Lake Christine Fire’s Facebook page, shared the moment:

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Colorado fire teams who are still dealing with the second half of the wildfire, which has been burning since July 3.